A moth night near you?

Garden tiger moth (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Moths, it seems to me, got a bad deal when it comes to public relations. Largely ignored by artists and illustrators who prefer butterflies, they’re also vilified because some species have sweater-chewing or corn-boring habits. Yet moths are one of the most successful organisms on earth, and contrary to their reputation, they actually come in an astonishing array of colours and patterns.

The folks over at National Moth Week would like you to get to know your local moths a bit better, and in the process of doing so, contribute to our growing body of knowledge about these amazing winged creatures. To that end, they want you to “go mothing” this summer, but particularly during National Moth Week, which is between July 20-28 this year. To participate, you can check their events locator page to see if there’s a “moth night” near you, or you can go out on your own. You can find plenty of resources on this pageand you can read more about how to set up special lights and fermented baits to bring the moths to see you.

When you’re ready to submit your observations, there are at least 10 organizations eager to hear from you, all of whom are listed on the data submission page.